Sixty-two year old soul/blues singer/guitarist Johnnie Bassett has dedicated nearly half a century to his craft. On the appropriately titled I Gave My Life To The Blues, Johnnie Bassett and The Insurgents deliver what should be hailed as a breakthrough performance.

Born in Florida in 1935, Johnnie Bassett's first memories of the blues are from backyard fish frys, where greats like Tampa Red and Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup would often perform. The Bassett's relocated to Detroit in 1944, and it was in Motor City that Johnnie formed his first band and recorded his first sides with Joe Weaver. During the fifties he played with some of the greats, including John Lee Hooker. During a short stint in Seattle he shared the stage with a young Jimi Hendrix.

From the opening slow blues "I'll Get Over You" to the closing title track, Johnnie's clear, ringing guitar and soulful vocals convey the full range of emotions that epitomize "real" blues: joy, sadness, lust, and humor. It's difficult to listen to "I Love A Good Woman (But I Like The Bad One's Too) without chuckling. The lustful "Mean Feeling" features smoking sax from the Insurgent's Scott Petersen/Keith Kaminski. Even the traditional, and often recorded, "Drink Muddy Water" sounds fresh here. Johnnie gets Detroit style funky with "They Call Me Lucky" and "Mercedes Woman".

If there's any justice, Johnnie Bassett and The Insurgents will soon be as well known nationally as they are in Detroit.